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Louis Staples

Louis Staples primarily works between The Independent’s sister site indy100 and comment section Independent Voices. While his writing interests are varied, his specialist areas are LGBT+ issues, politics and culture.

Reviews

Drag Race UK is still chaotic enough to parody its American cousin

<p>Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has claimed almost all of her offers to help moderate Democrat candidates went unanswered</p>
Voices

Voters will punish the Democrats for infighting – just look at Labour

UK Politics

How Andy Burnham became UK’s latest political crush

Bernie has been endorsed by a number of young Democratic freshmen including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar
Voices

Why Bernie Sanders' team is watching Jeremy Corbyn so closely

Jeremy Corbyn announces his party’s decision to back an election today (
Voices

Forget the polls: Labour will come in from the cold this winter

Bernie Sanders with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez outside the US Capitol in Washington DC
Voices

Bernie Sanders' Squad endorsements make him look weak

Alan Carr, RuPaul, Andrew Garfield and Michelle Visage in Drag Race UK
Reviews

RuPaul's Drag Race UK review: A triumph that doesn’t f*** it up

With friends like these... Rob McElhenney and Glenn Howerton in the US sitcom
Features

Opinion: Making homophobic characters gay panders to a pervasive myth

Phillip Lee dramatically crossed the floor to join Jo Swinson on the Liberal Democrat benches as Boris Johnson spoke in the Commons
Voices

The Lib Dems are so desperate to stop Brexit they’ll let anyone in

Picture:
Voices

This week, Kamala stopped being a serious contender for president

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden poses question in speech questioning whether Donald Trump's presidency has politicised young Americans
Voices

The Democratic nomination is now a three-horse race

Bernie Sanders takes a selfie with a supporter
Voices

The Bernie Bro is dead – but people are still trying to resurrect him

After teasing a 'very special announcement', Abrams this week launched an initiative aimed at preventing voter suppression
Voices

Why I'm glad Stacey Abrams isn't running for president

Voices

Why I'm glad Stacey Abrams isn't running for president

After teasing a 'very special announcement', Abrams this week launched an initiative aimed at preventing voter suppression
Voices

Sturgeon on top as Boris tilts the scales towards Indyref2

‘Comedians are not good people! I don’t know how we’ve gotten this reputation for being upstanding citizens’
Features

Michelle Wolf interview: ‘I wish I’d gone harder at Trump’

New data reveals that the number of people who think gay sex is wrong has risen for the first time since 1987
Voices

I'm not surprised the acceptance of gay sex in the UK is falling

A crowd attempts to impede police arrests outside the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, on 28 June 1968
Long Reads

50 LGBT+ people on what the Stonewall riots represent today

A crowd attempts to impede police arrests outside the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, on 28 June 1968
Long Reads

50 LGBT+ people on what the Stonewall riots represent today

Donald Trump said the results were “fake polls” when they became public despite being confirmed by some of his advisers
Voices

Donald Trump will make 2020 the ‘immigration election’

(AFP/Getty
Voices

The Tory leadership TV debates are a pointless charade

The LGBT+ community mourns after 49 people were killed at Pulse nightclub, Florida
Voices

Three years after the Pulse shooting, I still live in fear

Nicola Sturgeon at the SNP's European elections campaign event on Saturday
Voices

The Euro election results are a clear message for Nicola Sturgeon

The finales of Fleabag, Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad were all met with varying responses from viewers
Features

Why is it so hard to give TV shows the right ending?

Robert F Smith announced he was going to pay off the entire graduating class's student debt
Voices

The dark side of Robert F Smith's gift to Morehouse College students

The relationship between Kurt (Chris Colfer, right) and Blaine (Darren Criss) on ‘Glee’ helped subvert the classic American high school model
Features

How Glee flipped stereotypes and ushered in an era of inclusivity

Pride activists fly an LGBT+ flag at a march in South Africa
Long Reads

Inside the fight for LGBT+ rights across the Commonwealth

Robert F Smith announced he was going to pay off the entire graduating class's student debt
Voices

The dark side of Robert F Smith's gift to Morehouse College students

The relationship between Kurt (Chris Colfer, right) and Blaine (Darren Criss) on ‘Glee’ helped subvert the classic American high school model
Features

How Glee flipped stereotypes and ushered in an era of inclusivity

Pride activists fly an LGBT+ flag at a march in South Africa
Long Reads

Inside the fight for LGBT+ rights across the Commonwealth

Voices

It's no coincidence gay rights are stalling as Britain leaves the EU

Voices

It's no coincidence gay rights are stalling as Britain leaves the EU

Voices

Sturgeon’s call for a second independence vote could kill Brexit

There's a reason why these two men from Indiana with one thing in common won't wind down their feud any time soon
Voices

Buttigieg's feud with Pence is a smart political move for them both

Voices

If Kim Kardashian West wants to be a lawyer, we should get behind her

Pete Buttigieg surprised many when he announced his campaign had already raised over $7m
Voices

Why Pete Buttigieg still counts as a radical candidate

Pete Buttigieg surprised many when he announced his campaign had already raised over $7m
Voices

Why Pete Buttigieg still counts as a radical candidate

Scott is perhaps best known for playing Moriarty in the BBC’s Sherlock
Voices

Gay men can play hetero heartthrobs. Look at Andrew Scott in Fleabag

Voices

Uncomfortable with kids learning about LGBT people? That's homophobia

'Honestly I don't care about Brexit, hook the Felicity Huffman college bribery scandal into my VEINS'
Voices

Why does gay Twitter adore Felicity Huffman and 'bad' women?

LGBT+ acts including Years & Years – whose gay frontman Olly Alexander tweeted in support of Grande – will also be performing at the event
Voices

I see Ariana Grande as an ally – she should perform at Pride

Voices

Queer as Folk remains a radical and fearless tribute to gay life

Do you really want this man to be responsible for handling LGBT+ conversations in the world?
Voices

As a gay man, I don't want Trump to champion my rights

Voices

Country music's 'woke' rebrand signals trouble for Republicans

Voices

The PM's mouldy jam revelation is a sticky reminder of her failings

Voices

Actor or not, the DWP video is an attempt to gloss over its cruelty

Voices

The James Bulger film just shows how unethical the Oscars are

Netanyahu joined in the '10 year challenge' with two Twitter pictures which caused some controversy
Voices

Netanyahu's 10 year challenge says so much

Voices

Netanyahu's 10 year challenge says so much

Netanyahu joined in the '10 year challenge' with two Twitter pictures which caused some controversy
'Tidying Up with Marie Kondo'
Voices

Why I'm not surprised millennials are obsessed with Marie Kondo

Voices

Why is Ellen DeGeneres buying into Kevin Hart's victim narrative?

The new, post-referendum normal has turned out to be a never-ending tug-of-war of inadequacy, incompetence and deliberate deception
Voices

How 2018 proved that Corbyn and May are as incompetent as each other

The pop singer is not just for the festive season
Features

Why Mariah Carey is not just for Christmas

The pop singer is not just for the festive season
Features

Why Mariah Carey is not just for Christmas

Publication INTO faced a backlash after publishing an opinion piece that suggested Ariana Grande’s new video was ‘surprisingly anti-queer’
Voices

When wokeness goes too far

Crickets are the new 'new sustainable protein source' in Sainsbury's
Voices

Recoiling at Sainsbury's edible insects is classic Western supremacy

Sympathy for May is easy to find on social media, where many have expressed the belief that her premiership has been doomed from the beginning
Voices

Stop telling me that I should feel sorry for Theresa May

Chicago mayoral candidate Amara Enyia speaks as Chance the Rapper, center, and Kanye West listen during a "pull-up" rally for Enyia Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018, in Chicago
Voices

Kanye West giving money to a Democrat doesn't reverse his past actions

Mr Trump has made immigration, and fears about it, the cornerstone of efforts to animate Floridians to vote for Republicans
Voices

By ignoring healthcare in the midterms, Republicans are risking votes

The photograph was taken as protests continue on the border of Israel
Voices

There is nothing romantic or poetic about the Palestine conflict

The meeting, which was allegedly to promote Uganda’s tourism and arts industries, saw Kimye gift the president with a pair of Yeezy trainers and pose for photographs
Voices

Kim and Kanye's meeting with a homophobic dictator is a betrayal

Dr Christine Blasey Ford in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee
Voices

We should be wary of those who believe Ford but support Kavanaugh

Related video: Vince Cable announces new party structures as he steps down as Liberal Democrats leader
Voices

Let's not forget that the Lib Dems are the true architects of Brexit

Voices

There’s a simple reason why Nixon had no chance of beating Cuomo

Noel Fielding, Sandi Toksvig, Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith
Voices

This is our last chance to unite Brexiteers and Remainers - over cake

Voices

This is our last chance to unite Brexiteers and Remainers - over cake

Noel Fielding, Sandi Toksvig, Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith
Twenty years on, people still want a piece of Spears
Reviews

Britney Spears will keep her fans dancing til the world ends

A number of buildings have lit up green across London today to remember those who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower tragedy
Voices

Why Downing Street shouldn't be lit up for Grenfell today

A lead recording suggests that his ignorance, ideological stance and loose mouth are damaging British interests and possibly our security
Voices

No one is even talking about the worst parts of Boris Johnson’s speech

(Reuters
Voices

Ask the right questions about the cancellation of Roseanne

(Reuters
Voices

Ask the right questions about the cancellation of Roseanne

Years and Years frontman Olly Alexander (left), who is often referred to as a 'twink', has been open about his struggle with bulimia as he came to terms with his sexuality
Voices

I know how damaging it is to idealise the idea of the 'twink'

Voices

President Trump, don’t worry about cancelling on us

Theresa May leaves Number 10 Downing Street to hold a meeting with European business leaders
Voices

I am shocked by Theresa May's fall from grace

Support for the Labour leader at Glastonbury shows how far he’s come in the last year
Voices

Corbyn's not the Prime Minister, but he might as well be

Theresa May did not meet with locals at Grenfell Tower, causing outrage
Voices

Where did it all go wrong for Theresa May?

The Labour leader is by no means perfect, but he has been on the right side of history for 20 years
Voices

I'm voting for Corbyn after spending 18 months criticising him

The characters scramble for junior admin roles, internships and jobs that they hate despite yearning for so much more
Voices

Even as a man, 'Girls' felt like the voice of my generation

John Inverdale was corrected by Andy Murray when he failed to mention the successes of Venus and Serena Williams in Olympic tennis
Voices

John Inverdale deserves the gold medal for biggest liability on TV

British Opposition Labour Party MP Angela Eagle is pictured as she leaves her home in London on July 11, 2016. Britain's Angela Eagle was set Monday to launch a bid to unseat Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the main opposition Labour Party, part of the fallout of last month's Brexit vote. / AFP PHOTO / CHRIS J
Voices

Why Angela Eagle would be the wrong choice for Labour leader

People take part in a candlelight memorial service the day after a mass shooting at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando
Voices

Why toxic masculinity was to blame for the Orlando shootings

Cheryl and Liam posted a picture of themselves together on Instagram this week
Voices

Why people really hate Cheryl and Liam

Voices

Does Tyson Fury's personality really need celebrating, BBC?

Protesters at the Conservative Party Conference. Getty Images
Voices

Poverty is all over Manchester, but the Tories refuse to see it

Lord Ashcroft fell out with the Prime Minister after he was passed over for a leading role in the Coalition Government
Voices

Lord Ashcroft has exposed the shady system he was a part of

Lord Ashcroft fell out with the Prime Minister after he was passed over for a leading role in the Coalition Government
Voices

Lord Ashcroft has exposed the shady system he was a part of

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